IGSC 2023 Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address: Building Back Better: A Goal, An Aspiration, Or Just A Slogan?

In the aftermath of disasters, we frequently aim for a built-back-better recovery; be it after a hurricane, a flood, or any other disaster. Yet, the record of achieving this goal is quite mixed. This talk aims to identify the ways we can think about an economic recovery that is indeed better, and what may be some of the policies that can lead us in that direction, and not away from it.

Keynote Speaker Ilan Noy is the Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change - Te Āwhionukurangi, at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. His research and teaching focus on the economic aspects of natural hazards, disasters, and climate change, and other related topics in environmental, development, and international economics. He is also the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Economics of Disasters and Climate Change. He previously worked at the University of Hawai’i, and has consulted for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, OECD, UNDRR, the IMF, and ASEAN.

Arts Presentation
"Tạnu: Recovery and Resilience in the Pacific"

“Tạnu” ("Water") is a poem and song written in the Rotuman dialect and engages the importance of water - from the mountains, into the valleys from rain and into the seas. These creative works acknowledge the relationship with ‘tạnu’ and reflect on humans' continuous exploitation towards this precious resource. How have we taken ‘tạnu’ for granted and fail to see its importance? And what of the future generations? How will they navigate their relationship with ‘tạnu’? What will be our legacies? These works help us appreciate ‘tạnu’ today as it did for our ancestors, nourishing souls and guiding voyages.

John Taukave has been a performance artist for over 15 years. He partakes cultural art forms including Pacific and Rotuman performing arts, indigenous storytelling, cultural music creation, and applied experiences in cultural research. He works with Rako Pasefika, a Rotuman Cultural Arts Company. He was part of the Fiji Delegation to the 2016 Pacific Arts Festival, the cultural performing ambassador for Fiji and the Pacific Delegation to the 2018 Global Climate Summit, and participated in an intimate sharing performance at the Sydney Opera House in 2019.

Please visit our webpage to learn more about the conference and download the program booklet.

IGSC 2023 Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address: Building Back Better: A Goal, An Aspiration, Or Just A Slogan?

In the aftermath of disasters, we frequently aim for a built-back-better recovery; be it after a hurricane, a flood, or any other disaster. Yet, the record of achieving this goal is quite mixed. This talk aims to identify the ways we can think about an economic recovery that is indeed better, and what may be some of the policies that can lead us in that direction, and not away from it.

Keynote Speaker Ilan Noy is the Chair in the Economics of Disasters and Climate Change - Te Āwhionukurangi, at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. His research and teaching focus on the economic aspects of natural hazards, disasters, and climate change, and other related topics in environmental, development, and international economics. He is also the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Economics of Disasters and Climate Change. He previously worked at the University of Hawai’i, and has consulted for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, OECD, UNDRR, the IMF, and ASEAN.

Arts Presentation
"Tạnu: Recovery and Resilience in the Pacific"

“Tạnu” ("Water") is a poem and song written in the Rotuman dialect and engages the importance of water - from the mountains, into the valleys from rain and into the seas. These creative works acknowledge the relationship with ‘tạnu’ and reflect on humans' continuous exploitation towards this precious resource. How have we taken ‘tạnu’ for granted and fail to see its importance? And what of the future generations? How will they navigate their relationship with ‘tạnu’? What will be our legacies? These works help us appreciate ‘tạnu’ today as it did for our ancestors, nourishing souls and guiding voyages.

John Taukave has been a performance artist for over 15 years. He partakes cultural art forms including Pacific and Rotuman performing arts, indigenous storytelling, cultural music creation, and applied experiences in cultural research. He works with Rako Pasefika, a Rotuman Cultural Arts Company. He was part of the Fiji Delegation to the 2016 Pacific Arts Festival, the cultural performing ambassador for Fiji and the Pacific Delegation to the 2018 Global Climate Summit, and participated in an intimate sharing performance at the Sydney Opera House in 2019.

Please visit our webpage to learn more about the conference and download the program booklet.